According to the latest data from the satellite tracking website Orbiting Now, as of 29 June 2025, there are approximately 12,952 active objects orbiting Earth. Of these, 145 satellites were launched during the year 2025 alone.
- Satellites are typically deployed in orbits around Earth, including the Geostationary Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
- Also, as per Lithuania based Kongsberg NanoAvionics, a small satellite mission integrator, small satellites dominate the LEO, while large satellites dominate GEO and MEO. It further noted that the operating satellites are registered in 105 countries or multinational organisations.
Top 10 Countries with Most Satellites in Space:
1.The USA: According to Statista.com data, the United States of America (USA) with 8,530 satellites in orbit (as of November 2024), emerged as the country with the highest number of satellites across the world.
- This number is mainly attributed by a combination of government agencies like National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); military assets, and private companies like Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), whose Starlink alone has more than 7,400 satellites.
2.Russia: As per data available on n2yo.com, Russia accounts for 1,559 satellites in Earth’s orbit, which makes it world’s 2nd country with most satellites in space. Currently, Russia’s in-orbit constellation consists of 244 satellites.
- According to Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), Russia is aiming to increase its in-orbit constellation of communications and Earth remote sensing satellites to 2,600 by 2036.
3.China: As per data available on n2yo.com, China accounts for 906 satellites in Earth’s orbit which spans government, military and commercial systems.
- China saw some launches in 2025 like: CERES-1, Long March-6/6A Qianfan batches and Guowang.
4.The UK: As per the United Kingdom (UK)’s official data, UK accounts for 763 satellites in orbit, as of March 28, 2025.
5.Japan: As per data available on n2yo.com, Japan accounts about 203 satellites in orbit, ranging from government, scientific, military, and innovative domains.
- Out of these, Japan has about 5 operational QZSS navigation satellites (as of February-March 2025), which aims to increase to 7 by March 2026.
6.France: France possess a diverse fleet of more than 100 satellites, for various purposes like: military intelligence, high-resolution earth imagery, and space-defence demos.
7.India: According to Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s data, Indian accounts about 136 satellites including those from private operators or academic institutions, that have been launched in Earth’s orbit (as of December 31, 2024).
- Currently, 22 active satellites are deployed in LEO and 32 in GEO.
- Also, India’s deep space missions, namely, Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter and Aditya-L1 are active.
- As per ISRO, India aims to add 100-150 new satellites into the orbit over the next 3 years.
8.Germany: As per n2yo.com’s data, Germany posses about 82active satellites in space, which covers government, scientific, defense, and commercial missions.
- The country is aiming to launch its ambitious project ‘Bundeswehr’ to build at least one satellite constellation by 2029.
9.Canada: As per data available on n2yo.com, Canada has launched about 64 satellites into space so far. These satellites are used for various purposes such as: Earth observation, communication, scientific and tech purposes.
- Telesat, MDA, GHGSat, and NorthStar are among the major satellite companies based in Canada.
10.Italy: At present, Italy accounts about 66 satellites in the orbit, focused on observation, communications, and navigation.
- It is expected that IRIDE with 34 satellites and the proposed National Constellation (nearly 100 satellites) will significantly expand Italy’s space presence by 2030.
About Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO):
Chairman – Dr. V. Narayanan
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Formed – 1969
